ABSTRACT
Fruits and vegetables are perishable and prone to spoilage, which reduces food quality and increases the loss of fresh produce, but spoilage can be reduced by nanoenabled applications during postharvest handling. This chapter covers nanomaterials (NMs) such as metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), edible nanobiopolymers and several nanoapplications to fruits and vegetables, such as by nanocoatings, nanoemulsions, nanofilm/packaging, nanomicrobials/nanofungicides and nanosensors. The NMs are the core in produce preservation, but the small size of NPs can be toxic to human health and contaminate the environment. The “green” synthesis of NPs from fruit and plant materials is an environmentally safe and friendly alternative to other nanoparticulate delivery systems. NPs control or delay the delivery of functionally active substances, adjust for absorption, and allow for scale-up synthesis. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and other metal NPs have antifungal/antimicrobial properties. The latest developments and improvement of biopolymer-based nanocomposites include nanochitosan and nanocellulose, and various nanostarches to deliver bioactive compounds are reported. Organic, inorganic and combined NPs have improved the various functionalities of active and intelligent food packaging. All of these topics and the safety implications of nanoenabled applications to human health and the environment are highlighted in this chapter.
